Le Castellet (FR), April 14, 2025 - The southern French circuit of Paul Ricard hosted the opening round of the GT4 European Series. Among the competitors was a 100% Belgian team: TeamFloral. This season, the team fields two young talents, Michiel Haverans and Nathan Vanspringel, the latter being one of six official Ford Performance Junior Drivers. In France, the team made significant progress toward the level of performance it is aiming for.
The GT4 European Series has long been considered one of the most competitive championships in European motorsport, boasting a diverse grid. TeamFloral’s Ford Mustang GT4 is up against the likes of Porsche, McLaren, Aston Martin, BMW, and Mercedes.
“Our Mustang is now in its second season, and we can clearly see we’re moving in the right direction,” says team owner Jean-Marc Valckenaere. “Our young drivers, including GT4 rookie Michiel Haverans, are getting more and more comfortable with the car. Paul Ricard confirmed that we’re building on a solid foundation.”
Saturday’s qualifying sessions brought mixed feelings. Nathan Vanspringel set a respectable 15th fastest time out of 42 entrants in the first session. “There’s definitely room for improvement,” Valckenaere noted. “We were just half a second off the top ten. Nathan and Michiel clearly have the potential to bring our Mustang into that group. In the second session, we were a bit unlucky with a red flag and track limits, which meant we had to start from the back despite their pace.”
Clean racing and strong resilience
In Race 1, Nathan Vanspringel and Michiel Haverans delivered a clean performance and finished 14th. In Race 2, Michiel Haverans put in a strong opening stint, climbing from the back of the grid into the top twenty.
“Michiel showed great resilience after the setbacks in qualifying and delivered a solid race performance,” Valckenaere continued. “We completed the race without any mistakes and just made it into the top twenty. The result isn’t yet where we want to be, but the progress is clear. We know the potential is there – in the car, the team, the guidance, and the drivers.”
TeamFloral now shifts its focus to the second meeting of the season, taking place from 16 to 18 May in Zandvoort. “We aim to move a few places up the order there,” concludes Jean-Marc Valckenaere. “And of course, we’re already looking forward to our home race at Spa-Francorchamps on 28 and 29 June – but more on that soon!”